Zena Holloway is an underwater photographer and director. Her work deviates from the stereotypical directness associated with underwater photography, as she strives to push the boundaries of her imagination and the limits of creativity. The result is truly magical imagery that has resulted in worldwide acclaim.

“Water has enabled me to fly with eagle rays, dance with dolphins and come face to face with some particularly spectacular sharks. I’ve uncovered 18th century skeletons, and priceless antiquities, hitchhiked on submarines and taught a few mermaids how to pose along the way. I like to think of the water as my canvas and the light as the paint. My goal is always to find the heart of every project and allow the water to bring the magic.”

….its on the move again…. This time to the charming coastal city of Busan, the second largest city in South Korea. Thank you to the organisers at The Hankyoreh for working tirelessly to present the work in such a world class style.

Philosophers, historians, biologists and artists will give life to this event, which aims to be a bridge between science and art, two worlds which aren’t very well acquainted but have always been mutually attracted to each other. The exhibition will be a unique event with a great media coverage, having – among others – the aim of raising awareness on the serious problems caused by marine ecosystem pollution, while embodying the will of educating people in the aquatic environment protection.
“Art Mode Design – Esthetique et Philosophie du mond aquatique” will be held at the Museum of the Porte Dorée in Paris from 29th February 2016 to 3rd July 2016.

Dive beneath the scenes of our underwater fashion shoot in the Bahamas. Words by Damian Foxe and Millicent Simon

Suited and booted for a British winter, the model wears neither protective chainmail nor mask while filming. He shuts his eyes against the salty water while technical adjustments are made by the crew – something that “takes some balls” while surrounded by sharks, says photographer Zena Holloway.

Throughout history there has been much contention surrounding the definition of creativity. The common accepted definition is that creativity is the act of creating something new, something from nothing. According to this definition however, many argue that only writers and poets can be considered to be truly creative, while artists (under which category photographers fall) only replicate what already exists. What would you say to someone with that belief and what is your own understanding of creativity?
ZH: Its an interesting idea but I would argue that most worthwhile painters and photographers don’t replicate what already exists but use their craft to create work that is an interpretation of what they see or imagine. Photographers use light to paint an image, and in most cases, a variety of processes afterwards to change and bend what they’ve captured to further alter it from reality. If the photographer is using the medium to do this then they must be considered to be creating something new.

Everyone’s creative process is different. For some creativity comes easily and leads to a proliferation of great work while others describe their creative process to be like extracting poison, slow and incredibly painful. What is your creative process like?
ZH: Ah yes the ‘beautiful burden’. I confess I’m not one of those wonderfully crazy people with an elastic mind stretching off at tangents all of the time and obsessing with work. I wish that I was less ordered, less literal and more radical, however the upside is that I’m content to let the ideas or the situations to create arrive in their own time. I need to create but not in a way that is destructive.